How sound is the statement: "Allah was, and there was nothing with Him, and He is now as He always was"?

Bukhari mentioned that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: "Allah was, and there was nothing else besides Him, and His Throne was upon water, and He wrote everything in the Reminder (Adh-Dhikr), and He created the heavens and the earth." As for the saying "And He is now as He was," this is an addition not found in the books of Hadith (definition). Ibn Taymiyyah repudiated it, considering it a fabricated lie not found in any of the Hadith collections. It was reportedly uttered either to deny the attributes of Allah Almighty or to support the doctrine of Ittihadiyah (pantheism/unionism).